PAIN induced by injury, surgery, inflammation, disease, etc. can be difficult to treat. Exploring natural options to rehab and recovery have proven successful and increasingly popular. This article will be the first in a series addressing how non-traditional methods like aquatic therapy can offer positive results and success in rehabilitation and recovery outcomes for patients dealing with pain.

Pain affects work, social relationships, mood, family and daily activities.

Avoiding pain, dealing with pain, and relieving pain are the main goals of therapy. The first part of our series focuses on cancer and how cancer patients can benefit from aquatic therapy.

Aquatic Therapy Recommended for Cancer Patients

If you treat patients dealing with cancer consider the properties of water and benefits explained in a “Your Cancer Answers” column produced by Marian Cancer Care by John Malinowski from Allan Hancock College. Malinowski explains the following:

• •  Exercising in an underwater treadmill or pool is inherently different than on land because of the natural properties of water: buoyancy, resistance, and hydrostatic pressure.
• •  Buoyancy allows water to support your body weight, assists movement and causes resistance, which is when strengthening occurs. It unloads the joints and absorbs impact on muscles which enables movements that might otherwise be impossible. This in turn increases pain free range of motion.
• •  The effect of hydrostatic pressure in the water helps reduce any edema or swelling. Just being in warm water with movement is like a mini-massage, which is why exercising in water is so beneficial for people with lymphedema.
• •  Resistance provides weak muscles with needed strength training without stress on joints and muscles. The increased range of motion and pain free resistance allows patients to improve quicker in water than they would on land.
• •  An aquatic therapy program can help treat pain for cancer patients by working to decrease body fat, increase lean body mass, increase cardiovascular fitness, increase range of motion (especially with the chest and shoulders), prevent lymphedema, decrease stress, and provide a whole body workout. Fatigue is a common result of the disease and side effect of some cancer treatments. Water exercise allows you to do more than you can on land; therefore increasing your energy level and stamina.

LINK TO FULL ARTICLE

Hudson Aquatic Systems designs, engineers and manufactures the highest quality performance aquatic systems, therapy pools, swim spas, and hydrotherapy products. We strive to exceed our customers’ expectations before, during and after the sale in order to build life-long relationships and improve the lives that utilize our products.

To find out more about Hudson’s underwater treadmills and custom therapy pools in order to help treat your patients dealing with pain, contact us.